Parting
by silvernessa
Summary: Inuyasha and the gang face a great battle with Naraku, who has never been stronger. The fight results in a tragic death that will change all their lives forever. Please R
1. Uneasy thoughts

It was just another ordinary day in Feudal Japan. Kagome had just climbed out of the well from the present time and now all of her companions were enjoying their lunch of ninja food. At least, almost all of them were.

Kagome looked up from her plastic bowl of noodles. "Where's Inuyasha?" she asked curiously after noticing she hadn't seen the familiar shock of silver and red. She hadn't heard him complain about the food either.

Shippou slurped down his food and snorted disapprovingly. "He's sulking. Over there." The young fox demon pointed to a nearby tree.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "What's he sulking about?" After getting nothing but shrugs from her companions, she let out a sigh and grabbed the cup of noodles she had brought for him, lifting herself up and walking cautiously over in the direction Shippou had pointed to. After a few steps she could see the half demon, sitting cross legged and staring up at the sky, his hair blowing slightly in the wind.

"Hey, Inuyasha?" she asked tentatively once she was next to him, offering him the food. "You hungry?"

"Hmm?" He looked at her as if he had just broken out of a trance. His gaze drifted to her hand. "Uh, sure." He took her offering but didn't eat it; merely held it near his lap and started to stare at it instead as though transfixed.

Kagome settled herself next to him. "What is the matter with you?" She gave him a sharp jab in the shoulder to wake him up.

He turned to fix her with a glare for a few moments, but then his gaze softened and he let out a long sigh. "I dunno. I feel like… there's something bad coming, you know? Like something horrible is about to happen."

She blinked at him a few times, surprised that he had actually revealed his thoughts to her and also baffled by another fact. "So, you're telling me that you can even predict the future too?"

He snorted in response. "No, idiot. Don't you ever just get a feeling? We should just… be more careful from now on."

Kagome put a finger to her chin as she thought over his words, deciding to let the idiot comment go. "I guess I know what you mean… but Inuyasha, we've dealt with so many dangers before. Sometimes things seemed bad, but we always pulled through."

Inuyasha snorted again. "Yeah, that's just because I covered all of your asses. You should just consider yourself lucky that I travel with you… especially now that I've learned my Adamant Barrage. Maybe you're right… maybe we will be okay."

She smiled in response and, without thinking, reached out to touch his hand. "I do feel lucky," she said quietly. After just a few seconds, she came to her senses and withdrew her hand quickly and blushed. Inuyasha gave her an angry look and said, "You gonna keep groping me, or you gonna let me eat?!" He turned away sharply and set to work on his noodles, making loud slurping sounds.

"No need to thank me for the food," Kagome snapped in return, rising to her feet. _At least he's back to normal,_ she thought, beginning to head back to the main group. Her gaze lifted to the sky subconsciously and she found herself staring at a cloud, her thoughts beginning to drift. _What was Inuyasha worried about? Maybe he does have sort of a sixth sense; being half-demon and all… should all of us be worried?_

**Author's notes**

Yes, I do realize this is a bit of a weak chapter… but it does have a mighty bit of foreshadowing in it! Thanks for reading, and reviews are very much adored. This will not turn out like 'Breaching the Gap'; I actually know where this story is going, so please keep on reading!


	2. The Moonlit clearing

The rest of the day past without any major events, and a few hours after Kagome's return the group had found a safe place, started a fire, and one by one they all drifted off into slumber. Inuyasha was attempting to sleep, but he still couldn't shake the foreboding feeling in the back of his mind. Twice he had begun to doze off, but had been jolted rudely awake by terrifying dreams. Dreams in which he heard multiple screams, seen spots of blood, and even saw a flash of Kagome's face in his mind. He kept rolling over and over, trying to calm his restless mind, but to no avail. He felt there was something he had to do.

As he pulled himself to a sitting position, his eyes moved slowly over to Kagome, looking peaceful in her own dreams. With a small sigh he leapt next to her in a single bound and shook her shoulder gently. She grumbled softly at first and then her eyes slowly opened, looking at Inuyasha in surprise. "Hmm? What is it?" she said quietly, shaking her head and sitting up.

The half demon was silent for a few seconds before answering her. "Just come with me, okay? Please. Don't ask questions."

For once, she obeyed him and rose silently to her feet. She stepped carefully over the sleeping Shippou and looked at Miroku and Sango, also peacefully at rest, their faces a warm red glow from the fire. Inuyasha led her away from the circle and once they were a few feet away said, "Climb on."

Kagome obeyed him once again, hoisting herself onto his back without question and gripping his shoulders firmly. She felt his hands tighten under her knees and then he was off, running as fast as horse yet quiet as a mouse through the trees. The girl had always loved riding on his back. Even when they were headed off to a battle, she still felt exhilarated: the wind whipping over her face, feeling Inuyasha's body running so easily, his muscles shifting perfectly underneath her, his hold on her always secure and safe. Her heart rate quickened as they moved through the night.

Finally the pair came to a clearing in the woods. A stream gurgled quietly at the edge of the clearing, and the moonlight shone through the trees, making for a very romantic setting. The only sound besides the flow of water was the chirping of insects and other calls of nighttime animals.

Kagome climbed off of Inuyasha carefully and looked around. "Wow…" she whispered, "How'd you find this place?"

Inuyasha shrugged nonchalantly. "I could just smell the water, and the parting in the trees. Figured it'd be nice."

She nodded in agreement. "It is, but…" she turned to look at him curiously. "Why did you bring me here?"

The half demon didn't answer her right away. Instead he tore his eyes away from her to look up at the twinkling stars, a pensive expression on his face. After a few seconds, he said, "I still can't shake this feeling that something horrible is going to happen. And I feel like there's something I need to do." He lowered his head to look at the girl, and his ears twitched. "I just wanted to say I…I care about you, Kagome."

She could feel her heart beat race and she had to restrain herself to keep her mouth from falling open and keep her voice steady. She didn't want to throw herself at him."Well, I guess I already sorta knew that… with you always protecting me… but you know I care about you too, Inuyasha."

He nodded and a half smile lit up his features. He stepped closer to her; his feet hardly making a sound on the soft grass. "Kagome, I…" But he didn't finish his sentence. Instead, her moved even closer to her and reached out to stroke her cheek. His hand then dropped down to cradle her neck, and slowly he brought his face toward hers and sealed her lips with his.

Kagome had kissed Inuyasha before in order to keep him from going full demon and losing his mind, but this was different. Very different. And it was amazing. Her eyes immediately closed once his lips were on hers and she reached up to stroke his ears- she didn't know why; it just seemed like it would be the right thing to do at the time. And it was-Inuyasha emitted a low growl at her touch which only heightened the pleasure of the kiss. Kagome felt a wave of passion wash through her, and her movements became more enthusiastic, her tongue slipping past his lips. He welcomed her tongue with his, guiding it carefully around his razor-sharp fangs.

The girl wanted more. Her mind was almost lost in a fever of lust, and she found her hand slipping down to his shoulder, beginning to pull down his robe.

But Inuyasha stiffened. This didn't feel right-they shouldn't be going this far, not now. His hand came up to grasp hers and pull it away from his shoulder, his mouth still moving perfectly with hers. After a few seconds of bliss, though, he broke away to press his forehead against hers, breathing in her scent eagerly. She always smelled so nice… "Kagome, we shouldn't do this. Not now, okay?" His arms reached around her to hold her in an embrace. "Just like this is fine."

She still didn't argue. She merely closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady sound of his breathing, feeling completely at peace with the world.

They stayed like that for a long, long time.

**Author's Notes:**

Well, I'm sensing a bit of out of character-ness for both Inuyasha and Kagome. So, sorry about that. ;; I'm also sorry if you were expecting a sex scene and were disappointed. xD Maybe later on, or perhaps in another story.

Remember, reviews are loved!


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